Truman Advocates Large, Free and Strong Israel at Election Bally in New York

President Truman made his strongest pro-Israel declaration last night in an address before a pre-election rally of lose to 20,000 persons at Madison Square Garden here. The President ignored the Bernadotte Report which recommends the severing of the Negev from Israel. He insisted that “Israel must be large enough, free enough and strong enough to make its people self-supporting.” He added, however, that the Palestine problem must be solved in a way consistent with American interests.

“I wish to speak upon a subject that has been of great interest to me as your President,” he declared. “It is the subject of Israel. This is an important subject and must not be resolved as a matter of polities during a political campaign.

“I have refused to play polities with it. I have refused because: First, it is my responsibility to see that our policy in Israel fits in with our foreign policy throughout the world; second, it is my desire to help build in Palestine a strong, prosperous, free and independent democratic state. It must be large enough, free enough and strong enough to make its people self-supporting and secure.

“As President of the United States, back in 1945, I was the first to call for the immediate opening of Palestine to immigration to the extent of at least 100,000 persons. The United States, under my administration, led the way in November, 1947, and was responsible for the resolution of the United Nations setting up Israel, not, only as a homeland, but as a free and independent political state.

“The United States was the first to give full and complete recognition to at new state of Israel in April, 1948, and recognition to its provisional government. I have never changed my position on Palestine or Israel. As I have previously announced, I have stood, and still stand, on the present Democratic platform.

“The people of Israel have proved themselves worthy of the best tradition of hardy pioneers. They have created out of the barren desert a modern, efficient democracy, with the highest standards of Western civilization. They have demonstrated that Israel deserves to take its place in the family of nations.

“That is our objective, and we shall work toward it in a sound way, not in a partisan political way. I am confident that that objective will be reached. And I know that no American citizen, of whatever race or religion, would want us to deal with the question of Palestine on any other basis than the welfare of all Americans of every race and faith.”